Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis has shared a new video for “Prometheus,” one of the many highlights found on his acclaimed 2021 album, In Plain Sight (ATO). Directed by longtime collaborators Alec Basse and Max Moore, “Prometheus” is streaming now at YouTube.
“Aiming at the Greek myth of Prometheus, we wanted to create a piece that would put Neal in the fabled hot seat,” says co-director Alec Basse. “For showing his gifts to the world, Neal is reborn in a carnival-themed prison where every night it ignites around him. Forced to perform in isolation for all eternity, Neal burns down the proverbial house without an audience. Just as Prometheus before him, Neal has stolen fire from the gods, albeit not literal flames. For his trickery, Neal must suffer the consequences.
“We shot this on a farm in Wisconsin. The ticket booth was from the 70s Ohio State Fair and it was lovingly preserved by a man I met on Facebook marketplace. The shoot was brutally cold and I think we all would have loved to warm our hands on Neal’s roasting soul but alas his story is not yet finished. Massive shoutout to Ryan Wood who painstakingly recreated every single shot in CGI to create the fire effects. I think at some point this project became Ryan’s own personal Greek myth. Our collective suffering is the gift we offer to humanity.”
Hailed by SPIN as “a mesmerizing performer,” Francis—who recently received a prestigious 2022 Americana Association nomination for “Emerging Act of the Year,” performed on CBS Saturday Morning, and released a collaboration for charity with Wilco—is set to spend much of his time on the road in the coming months, including a just-announced North American tour supporting Marcus King beginning September 9 at The Met in Philadelphia, PA and continuing through late October.
A much-anticipated EU/UK tour will follow in November, including headlining dates in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, and Spain. In the meantime, Francis’s non-stop live schedule also includes a summer tour supporting Amos Lee, headline shows, festival dates in the US and Europe, and much more.
